On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Connecticut College formally opened its first ever Hillel House, named the Zachs Hillel House for its benefactor, Henry Zachs. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held in front of a large crowd of Connecticut College students, faculty and staff, as well as Coast Guard cadets and New London community members.
Dean of the College Carolyn Denard introduced Conn’s newest president Katherine Bergeron to speak first at the ceremony. President Bergeron praised Hillel and the construction of the Zachs Hillel House for furthering Conn’s “diverse and inclusive community.” She gave background on the meaning of the word “hillel.” which comes from the Hebrew word “hallal,” or “to praise.” The ceremony was one of President Bergeron’s firsts in her new role, and she joked just before cutting the ribbon that she had never done so before.
Henry Zachs spoke after President Bergeron, commentin not only on the importance of Hillel in the life of a Jewish college student, but in the life of a college community. The Zachs Hillel House came from a $1 million dollar gift from Mr. Zachs and his family, marking the third Hillel House he’s built on college campuses in Connecticut. The first was at his alma mater, Trinity College, followed by a house at the University of Connecticut. Mr. Zachs added that the University of Hartford will hopefully be the next recipient.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Dean Denard, co-presidents of Hillel Adam Rosenberg ’14 and Spencer Francus ’14, Connecticut College’s Jewish Chaplin Aaron Rosenberg and the president of the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut Jerry Fischer. Mr. Fischer also founded Connecticut College’s Hillel 30 years ago. In an interview with The College Voice, Rosenberg explained that the process of building the new House began last May, and believes that the new House will work towards “ensuring the identity [of Hillel] as a whole.”
Because the Zachs Hillel House is the home of Conn’s Hillel, a mezuzah was fixed to the doorpost before the crowd was allowed to see the house. Mezuzahs are pieces of parchment paper with Hebrew verses written on them, contained in decorative cases. It is traditional for a Jewish home or space to have one on the doorpost. The mezuzah fixed on the Zachs Hillel House was a gift from Hillel vice-president Dana Albalancy’s ’14 father. Albalancy is half-Israeli, and the mezuzah was purchased in Israel for the House.
Before the construction of the House, Hillel would rent out spaces on campus for their different events. With Zachs Hillel House, according to Francus, they can “spend more time planning rather than having to move things” and enjoy the ease of having a constant location.
Conn’s Hillel has also formed relationships with other college Hillels, such as those at Yale, Trinity, Brown-RISD and UConn. Before the addition of the House, Conn’s Hillel didn’t have the resources to invite other Jewish college students on to our campus, but they are now hoping to plan events that include other colleges.
Francus hopes that the addition of the House will give Jewish students on campus a “place to deal with [their] own Jewishness,” as well as increase the amount of programming done in collaboration with other groups on campus, such as Yalla Bina, the Arabic club.
The 6,700 square foot space will not only increase the amount of programming that Hillel can put on, but will also be utilized by other campus groups and organizations. All of the speakers at the ceremony stressed that while the Zachs Hillel House is a home for Conn’s Hillel and growing Jewish community, which currently makes up around 10% of the student body on campus, it is a space that all Conn students and New London community members will be able to take advantage of.
Rosenberg said that Hillel’s events are attended by both Jewish and non-Jewish students alike, as well as Coast Guard cadets. The bright and spacious building includes a large multi-purpose room, conference spaces, a kosher kitchen, administrative offices and a recreational room in the basement that will eventually be outfitted with games such as billiards and ping pong. The space will give Hillel opportunities to continue with their pre-established programs such as bagel brunches and holiday services, as well as create new programming for upcoming semesters. Francus cited the plan to install projectors and screens for film screenings and lectures as future events, which “Hillel had never been able to support before” the addition of the House.
Besides being a new space for all members of the College community to use, the space will also help Hillel do more in the New London community. Rosenberg explained that Hillel currently has relationships with three different local synagogues that all welcome students. The Coast Guard Academy invites Conn students to attend holiday dinners twice a year, and cadets are invited to Hillel Shabbat dinners. Francus mentioned that Hillel has baked homemade pastries and bread for Jewish seniors in the New London area, and will “continue to move forward” with their community service, aided by their new location.
The next step for the Zachs Hillel House will be finding a director to organize programming and events, as well as hiring Conn students to staff the house. Until these positions are filled, the House will be open Monday-Friday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. for all of the College to enjoy. For now, certain programs will take place in the Zachs Hillel House, such as the weekly Talmud reading group led by Professor Andrew Pessin. Shabbat dinners will continue to take place in Freeman. Though the House is now officially open for use, a more official ceremony will take place in May. •
